| The reign of automatic translators has not | | | | Let's take for example the baker making |
| come yet to replace professional | | | | baguettes. From scratch to be precise. He |
| translation... | | | | takes his bag of flour, add water and yeast |
| | | | and shape his baguettes. Quite simple, isn't |
| Professional translation cannot just be | | | | it? However, not every baguette tastes the |
| summed up by the interchange of an English | | | | same… why is that? Well, first of all, |
| word for a French one. Sure enough, software | | | | a lot of savoir-faire and a touch of salt. A |
| programs exist to do this but the reign of | | | | good baker also knows how to use the oven. A |
| automatic translators has not come yet. For | | | | tasteful baguette must not spend too much |
| the moment, and I believe it will always be | | | | time of the oven. Trust me, it is not that |
| the case, they are not good enough. For | | | | simple to get a perfect crust. |
| example, the automatic translation of an | | | | |
| article about the wife of the American | | | | Well, the translator is doing the same with |
| president, Laura Bush, appeared to be quite a | | | | the source text. First step, he writes a |
| mess. Given that automatic translators are | | | | draft. As for the baguette, it could be |
| set to recognize but a few collocations, some | | | | enough, the text is translated. However, it |
| of them can be problematic. This is why | | | | misses the " savoir-faire and salt part " or |
| "Laura Bush" had been translated in French to | | | | as we say, proofreading. We check that there |
| "le buisson de Laura". "Bush" was | | | | are no misunderstandings, nor incoherences. |
| misinterpreted as a noun (Laura's bush) and | | | | But then again, it is not finished. The |
| not as a family name. The funny part is that | | | | translation is not smooth, or fluent. As the |
| when you speak about the bush of a woman, as | | | | crust of the baguette can make our mouths |
| the translation makes it appear in French, | | | | water, the translation has to look perfect |
| you are talking about something else | | | | and genuine. The reader must not see that the |
| entirely, with no link to politics | | | | target text is a professional translation. As |
| whatsoever. Not quite serious enough for a | | | | for the baguette, what would be our reaction |
| paper… | | | | if we discover that it was frozen a few hours |
| | | | before we enter the bakery? |
| As long as automatic translators will make | | | | |
| those kind of mistakes, human translators | | | | Once all these steps have been carried out, |
| will be needed. I defined in the first | | | | such a professional translation will be as |
| paragraph what professional translation was | | | | crusty as the baguette and achieve what it |
| not, let's see what translating is really | | | | was made for. Everyone has the same |
| like. The first word that come to mind is | | | | ingredients in hands, but the difference in |
| craftsman. A translator is a craftsman. Some | | | | quality is so vast. Do not underestimate the |
| of you, dear readers, may feel sceptical. Why | | | | power that is given to translators, they are |
| am I speaking about art and craftsmanship? | | | | the bearers of a know-how that would let the |
| | | | world tasteless without it. |